Sentencing Bill Committee: New Clause 30

Parliament voted on 21 October 2025 on New Clause 30, tabled by Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrats, Chichester) during the committee stage of the Sentencing Bill. The clause concerned prisoners still held under the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, which was abolished in 2012 but which thousands of people remain subject to, many held well beyond their original tariff. The vote was defeated by 390 noes to 77 ayes. The practical effect of the vote is that no provisions addressing the ongoing situation of IPP prisoners were added to the Sentencing Bill at this stage. IPP was a sentence introduced in 2003 that allowed courts to detain offenders indefinitely until they were judged safe to release; it was scrapped in 2012 but the change was not made retrospective. Prisoners still subject to IPP have no fixed release date and must satisfy the Parole Board they no longer pose a risk. By declining to add New Clause 30, the Commons left this population without a legislative route to reform through this Bill. The Liberal Democrats voted almost unanimously in favour, with 65 of their MPs supporting the clause and none voting against. Plaid Cymru and the Greens also voted aye, as did two Labour MPs and three independents. The Conservative Party voted solidly against, with 86 MPs in the no lobby and none supporting the clause. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs made up the bulk of the no vote, with 288 combined voting against and only two Labour MPs voting aye. The Democratic Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice also voted no.